Tedisco: Governor’s New Budget Proposal Includes His Bipartisan “Child Survivor Privacy Act”

Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) today announced that following his advocacy and the strong support of the Sena family, Governor Kathy Hochul has included in her state budget plan important new privacy protections for child crime victims as sponsored by Tedisco. 

“After working with the Sena family from my district last year to convince the Governor to implement my bipartisan legislation to install security cameras at Moreau Lake State Park and all 180 state parks and recreational facilities, I’m pleased the Governor has listened to our request once again to include our ‘Child Survivor Privacy Act’ in the budget to enact new child privacy protections for child crime victims,” said Senator Jim Tedisco. 

From page 91 of the Governor’s Budget Book: 

“Protect Child Victims. The Executive Budget doubles the investment in Child Advocacy Centers to strengthen protections for child victims of crimes. This funding will support dedicated advocates to accompany the victim through every phase of an investigation and legal proceedings and keep the child’s identity private.” 

On January 10th, Senator Tedisco and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara wrote to the Governor to urge her to implement their legislation, “The Child Survivor Privacy Act,” (S.22) in the state budget to help survivors who are minors by ensuring they have a dedicated advocate present during all questioning and proceedings. Many times, when minors must share their story and give depositions in such a case, there is either no advocate present or a different person accompanying them each time. The bill also has several privacy protections for child victims. 

Tedisco and Santabarbara are being supported in their legislative efforts by the Sena family, whose then 9-year-old daughter was kidnapped while riding her bike in Moreau Lake State Park in 2023.  In the months following her rescue, the child survivor faced numerous occasions of being retraumatized in her dealings with the legal system as part of the run-up to the kidnapper’s conviction.

Senator Tedisco and Assemblyman Santabarbara also have the support from nationally-recognized missing persons advocate Mary Lyall of Ballston Spa, whose daughter Suzanne Lyall went missing from SUNY Albany in l998.

Last year, Tedisco and Santabarbara sponsored legislation and called on the Governor through the budget to install security cameras at the entrances and exits of Moreau Lake State Park and all state parks. Cameras and additional security measures are now up at Moreau Lake State Park and in the process of being implemented in the more than 180 other state parks and recreational facilities.

“I appreciate the Governor including this common sense, bipartisan public safety measure in her budget proposal. Helping to find missing persons and supporting their families has been one of the areas that I’ve focused on over my legislative career. I’ve been proud to work with the Sena family of the courageous Corinth young lady who was kidnapped over a year ago on this new legislation to help child survivors by ensuring they have a dedicated advocate present during all questioning and proceedings and to add new protections to safeguard their privacy. We also have the support of one of my heroes, Mary Lyall and the Center for Hope, to seek the creation of a new special unit in the New York State Police dedicated to finding missing persons and solving cold cases,” said Senator Jim Tedisco, who has long been recognized as a leading state legislative expert on issues related to missing persons. 

“As we prepare to fully review the Governor’s complete budget, I’m hoping as part of her 30-day amendments or final negotiations, she will also include funding for a dedicated Cold Case unit to help find missing persons like Suzanne Lyall from Ballston Spa. These are common sense bipartisan measures to protect children and enhance public safety,” said Senator Jim Tedisco.